Statement by the Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee, MEP Witold Jan Waszczykowski
on the decision of the European Council of 23 June 2022 on granting EU candidate status to Ukraine
Brussels, 23 June 2022:"I welcome today's historic decision of granting official EU candidate status to Ukraine by the European Council. This powerful political signal puts Ukraine firmly and irreversibly on its chosen path towards EU membership.
The EP and its Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee stands ready to continue our intense engagement and dialogue with the Verkhovna Rada at all levels. Ukraine deserves all the political and financial support it can get to pursue and complete credible and meaningful reforms, as well as to benefit from further economic integration and legislative harmonisation with the EU. In this context I also recall the need to mobilise further resources in order to ensure the immediate needs of Ukraine for financial relief and to underpin the resilience of its institutions and a long-term stabilisation and reconstruction agenda.
I call on the EU and its Member States to preserve their unity and determination, and to work tirelessly, together with other international partners, to mobilise further swift and adequate military support to contain and stop the ongoing Russian military aggression.
Today, Ukraine received a message of hope earned through the merit of human courage, determination and sacrifice, as well as gradual implementation of an ambitious association agenda with the EU. We must continue working together to fulfil the EU's commitment to build a common European future with the people of Ukraine who are paying an enormous sacrifice in defence of their homeland and our shared values and aspirations."
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP